Stretching Practice 15-Min (The Mindful Christian)

This mindful stretching practice is grounded in scripture and an awareness of God's presence, providing the practitioner with an opportunity to connect with the miracle of movement while releasing tension and centering awareness on God.

Transcript

Welcome to this 15 minute stretching meditation.

Your body and mind are constantly interacting with one another,

And you'll be guided in this practice through some simple stretching movements to practice awareness of that moment-to-moment interaction.

You are the expert on your own body,

So plan to adjust the instructions to your own particular needs along the way,

Both physically and mentally.

And also follow any guidelines provided by your doctor regarding physical movement.

You're invited to stop at any time or to take rests as needed along the way.

The goal of this practice is to explore your boundaries,

Seeing if you can go up to your physical limits without going beyond them.

There's no need to force or strain.

Instead,

This is a practice of nourishing your body with gentle and non-judgmental attention,

Staying aware of your breath throughout as you mindfully take care of this body that God has made,

Feeling the body moving as it moves,

Noticing sensations in the body as well as thoughts and emotions that pass through the mind.

So you can begin by grounding yourself in either a standing or a sitting position,

Feet hip-width apart,

Back straight,

Arms resting at your sides.

You may choose to close your eyes fully or halfway with a soft gaze toward the floor below.

Taking a couple of deep breaths here,

Feeling the lungs fill and empty with air,

And then allowing your breath to return to its normal rate.

And noticing that God is here with you as you receive these words from Romans 5.

God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

And so receiving this love in your heart,

Pumping life and love throughout your body as you are grounded here in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Feeling your body grounded in the surface beneath you,

Noticing the firmness of the earth holding you up.

And turning some kind attention in this moment toward your body,

Which is sustained by God.

If you notice any harsh or self-critical tone creeping into your thoughts,

You might see if it's possible to release that judgment to God's care.

Smiling at yourself as you gently move your attention back into your body,

Making sure that your knees are soft as you stand here.

And then on an in-breath,

Slowly lifting your arms up to the sides,

Moving them through space until they are up above your head,

Keeping your shoulders soft and breathing here.

As you gently stretch your hands up and root down firmly with your feet or with your body into the earth,

Feeling a gentle stretch throughout your body.

And then taking a deep breath in and on an out-breath,

Lowering your arms down again slowly,

Bringing them back to rest at your sides and feeling that release as the weight of the arms is taken by gravity.

Resting here for a moment as you breathe,

Noticing any effects of having done this simple movement,

Any sensations in the arms,

Neck,

Legs,

Feet.

And now on an in-breath,

Slowly lifting one arm up through space.

And as you do so,

Following your hand with your eyes as it moves,

Drinking in colors just beyond the fingertips,

Bringing the arm and the hand to stretch up above your head and reaching up here as if you were reaching up to pick a piece of fruit from a tree above.

If you'd like,

You might allow the opposite heel to come off the floor just a little as you stretch up,

Breath flowing freely as you stretch up toward the sky,

Eyes looking up beyond the fingertips.

And then when you're ready,

Taking an in-breath and on the out-breath bringing that hand down slowly,

Following the fingertips with your eyes,

Breathing,

Bringing your hand to rest once again at your side,

The weight of the arm taken by gravity.

Head centered,

Eyes closed partially or fully,

And resting here for a moment.

And now lifting the other arm up slowly through space as you follow it with your eyes,

Taking in colors and shapes just beyond the fingertips,

Breathing,

Looking up past your fingers as your hand stretches up toward the sky,

Opposite heel coming off the floor a bit if you choose as you stretch up.

Feeling sensations in the body,

Noticing which parts of your body are working to hold this stretch.

And then on an out-breath,

Bringing the heel to the floor,

Moving the hand slowly down through space,

Following it with your eyes,

Allowing your hand to come to rest once again at your side.

Head back to center,

Eyes closed partially or fully,

Resting here for a moment.

And now,

And then on an in-breath,

Moving both arms up above your head smoothly and quickly as you look up toward the sky past your fingers,

And then folding your body forward at the waist,

Arms swooping down to or toward the floor as you allow your entire upper body to bend down,

Dangling from the waist,

As far as your body goes.

Continuing to breathe here in this position,

Adapting this pose to your own particular needs and abilities,

Seeing if you can notice what your body is able to do with gratitude.

Just letting yourself hang here for a moment like a ragdoll,

Continuing to breathe.

And in this folded position,

Lifting one arm up toward the side,

Feeling the weight of the arm as you hold it here,

Parallel with the floor,

Noticing any changing sensations in the body,

Any stretching sensations,

Continuing to breathe,

And noticing here how you're talking to yourself.

Are you gentle?

Are you kind?

Are you accepting of your body's natural capabilities and limits and needs?

Seeing if you can pay attention to your experience in this moment without judgment or harshness.

Breathing and bringing the arm down now,

Lifting the other arm up toward the side,

Parallel to the floor,

Aware of the weight of the arm,

Aware of physical sensations throughout the body,

And noticing any emotions passing through the mind and the body,

As well as any urges or behaviors that might be present in your body.

And then,

As you breathe,

Slowly beginning to roll up through your back,

One vertebrae at a time,

Keeping your knees slightly bent,

And then slowly moving your hands toward the floor.

And then,

As you breathe,

Slowly moving your hands toward the floor,

And then slowly moving your hands toward the floor,

Keeping your knees slightly bent as you ever so gradually adjust to a standing or a sitting position once again.

And taking a deep breath in as you raise your arms up toward the ceiling and look up.

And then,

On an out breath,

Lowering the arms towards the sides once again,

Closing the eyes either fully or partially.

Aware of the effects of having done these simple stretches,

Aware of the weight of gravity as your body is grounded here in the earth,

Perhaps noticing the beating of your heart if that's available to you,

This heart of yours into which God has poured his love,

And feeling the sensations in your body,

Preparing now to move into a twist if you choose.

You can begin by placing your hands on your hips,

Stable in this position,

Taking a breath in,

And then twisting gently in one direction on an out breath,

Twisting all the way down from the ankles if that's accessible to you.

And then,

As you exhale,

You can begin by placing your hands on the knees,

The feet are the only part of the body pointing straight ahead,

Or if you're sitting,

Twisting all the way from the waist.

The chin over the shoulder or toward the shoulder,

And with the eyes moving over the shoulder as well,

As much as is possible for you.

Noticing the breath here.

Is it flowing?

Is it affected in any way by this stretch?

Just noticing.

And as best you can,

Softening and opening into the twist.

And then on an in breath,

Bringing the body back to face center,

And from the ankles or waist once again,

Twisting on an out breath in the other direction.

Chin towards or over the shoulder if that's possible for you,

Eyes moving over the shoulder.

What sensations do you notice in the muscles here?

Any sensations in the thighs?

Perhaps even sensing a gentle massage of the organs.

Whatever sensations are occurring in your body right now,

Just noticing.

And then on an in breath,

Bringing the body back to center in the front,

And returning the arms to the sides once again.

Closing your eyes either fully or partially if you choose.

Aware of the breath,

Aware of the body,

Aware of any thoughts and feelings that are present for you as you return to the standing or sitting position.

Resting here in this moment as you experience the effects of having moved your body in just this way,

These simple stretches.

Noticing the effects of the breath or the breathing.

Noticing the effects of caring for your body,

For your mind,

In just this way.

And when you are ready,

Taking in a deep breath,

And opening your eyes gently if they're closed.

Opening your awareness to include the space around you.

Perhaps bringing some gentle movement into your body,

A couple more deep breaths,

Some stretching,

Whatever feels good.

As you conclude your practice,

Perhaps thanking God for the miracle of movement and for this body that he's created.

As you continue on to your next activity,

Go in peace.